Efficacy of surgeon-directed suprascapular and axillary nerve blocks in shoulder arthroscopy: a 3-arm prospective randomized controlled trial.

Background: The use of regional anesthesia in shoulder arthroscopy improves perioperative pain control, thereby reducing the need for opioids and their recognized side effects. Occasionally one type of block is not suitable for a patient's anatomy or comorbidities or requires a specially trained anesthetist to safely perform. The primary aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of 3 different nerve blocks for pain management in patients undergoing shoulder arthroscopy.